Chapter 116

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the meeting room opened, and Zhang Yanjiang came in with two men, holding a thick strip about the thickness of a thumb. He approached Chen Baicheng and said, “Brother, I’m sorry!” Zhang Yanjiang waved at the two men behind him, who immediately pressed Chen Baicheng down on the table without hesitation. Zhang Yanjiang swung the strip and struck him hard on the buttocks.

With a crisp “slap!” One strike was enough to make Chen Baicheng grit his teeth in pain, with sweat dripping from his forehead. But he was still a man of strength and endured it without crying out.

“Slap, slap!” Zhang Yanjiang didn’t stop. As the leader of the enforcement group, this was the first time he was using his authority. He applied full force, leaving blood marks with each strike. This was also something Xie Wendong had instructed him to do—partly as a show, but mainly to intimidate these bosses, making them understand that mistakes would be punished and that the gang’s rules were strict, with no exceptions regardless of who the offender was.

After ten strikes, Chen Baicheng’s pants were soaked with blood. He could no longer stand and was supported by the two men beside him. He managed to force out a pained smile and said intermittently, “Brother Dong, I know I was wrong. I won’t make the same mistake again!”

Xie Wendong stood up, patted his shoulder, and said seriously, “Although we’re in the underworld and considered hooligans, the gang still has its rules. Anyone who makes a mistake, including me, will face punishment according to the gang’s laws. Everyone must remember this!”

Although it was Chen Baicheng who was being beaten, everyone was terrified, as if it were happening to them. After Xie Wendong finished speaking, they all said in unison, “We understand, Brother Dong!”

Xie Wendong nodded and gave Zhang Yanjiang a signal. The latter distributed a stack of blank papers to everyone present. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “These are the regulations for punishment. No matter which rule is violated, the punishment will still be in accordance with the gang’s laws. Everyone should remember this when they go back. I hope no one makes a mistake. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not being lenient!”

No one dared to disagree. Looking at the regulations, which filled an entire sheet of paper with thirty rules, they were all shaken. However, some thought it was reasonable—without strict rules, the gang would fall apart like scattered sand.

Xie Wendong ordered his men to take Chen Baicheng away to rest and recover. He also had someone clean up Guan Delin’s body before signaling everyone to sit down and discuss the merger and its aftermath. As for Guan Delin’s subordinates, Xie Wendong paid them no attention and let them go. Those men were filled with grief and anger, but they were weaker. Even if they turned against Xie Wendong, they wouldn’t gain anything, so they had no choice but to return to their gang and rethink their plans.

These people had good ideas, but after leaving the conference room, none of them was able to leave the Dongxing Hotel. The meeting lasted all day without ending—it wasn’t as simple as they had imagined; there were too many things to handle. Each gang had its own territory, so how to divide them after merger, how to reorganize the subordinates, and what status the former gang leaders would have in the merged organization were all issues that needed to be discussed and resolved.

At 8 p.m., seeing that the debates continued endlessly, Xie Wendong stood up and waved his hand broadly: “All territories will be under the unified management of the merged gang, and all revenues will be distributed by the gang. Fifty percent of the monthly income will be divided equally among everyone based on their contributions, while the other fifty percent will serve as the gang’s capital. The former gang leaders can all become elders after the merger, with specific responsibilities determined by their abilities. Select the best members to join each branch, and dismiss the rest! Do anyone have any objections to this?”

The people looked at each other, then at the bloodstains still on the conference table, and sighed inwardly. Even if they were dissatisfied, no one dared to speak up. They all understood that under Xie Wendong’s pressure, opposing him would only lead to one outcome. Guan Delin had already blazed a path for them, though at a bloody cost.

That day, Xie Wendong successfully unified the underworld in City H. All gangs, large and small, abandoned their old names and adopted the new name “Wen Gang.” Accordingly, the power of each gang was completely dispersed, with its members scattered across Wen Gang’s various branches. The former gang leaders became powerless elders. Wen Gang rose rapidly and became well-known throughout the province and even the whole country among underworld members.

Wen Gang’s aggressive expansion didn’t stop after dominating City H; it spread to other cities in Province H. San Yan, the nominal leader of Wen Gang, led campaigns everywhere. The number of members in Long Tang grew to over five thousand, with fifteen branches—more than the total number of members in all other branches of Wen Gang. San Yan became a famous big brother figure in the province, even more renowned than Xie Wendong. Whenever San Yan was mentioned in the underworld, people would give a thumbs up and say, “Dominant! A genius from the underworld.” Yet behind this genius, the real mastermind, Xie Wendong, was increasingly unknown to most people.

Xie Wendong can be described as extremely clean, so clean that even the police can’t find a single flaw in him. Dongxing Group’s business is thriving, and the latest bank assessment shows that its fixed assets amount to no less than 20 million. In City H and Province H, Xie Wendong is considered one of the rare ethnic entrepreneurs. However, as the boss of Dongxing Group, he rarely appears in public. Most people know his name is Xie Wendong, but few know what he looks like.

Xie Wendong has his reasons for this. First, he doesn’t want to draw too much attention; by staying low-key, others won’t see him as a threat. Second, he isn’t ready to tell his parents yet. Although Xie Wendong’s name is now quite famous, his parents might have heard of it, but with so many people named Xie Wendong, who would believe that this wealthy entrepreneur is their own son who is still in school?

The legitimate business is growing steadily, while the illegal trade continues unabated. Xie Wendong is getting more and more heroin from the Golden Triangle, which he then sells directly to the Black Belt gang. The Black Belt also finds Xie Wendong’s goods not only cheaper but also of top quality. They gradually stop relying on Colombia and focus on Xie Wendong as their supplier. Although the Black Belt hides their new source well, their prominence attracts the attention of some Russian and European gangs, who are jealous and plan to contact this Chinese drug lord to establish their own supply route.

As the gang led by Xie Wendong, the Wendong Gang, shifted to dealing drugs in casinos, the drug market in City J experienced a temporary vacuum. Some smaller gangs squeezed out by the Wendong Gang began to stir, while others operated independently in various venues. Out of fear of the Wendong Gang, drug dealers were relatively cautious, dealing only in small quantities. Xie Wendong didn’t react strongly when he learned about this, as his absence didn’t mean no one was using drugs. As long as addicts existed, the drug market would never decline.

Seven days after the suppression of the Tiger Gang, Xie Wendong received a call from the Black Belt. They sent representatives along with valuable gifts as a reward for Xie Wendong’s role in eliminating the Tiger Gang. Xie Wendong wasn’t very interested; although they claimed to be there to express gratitude, it was actually a negotiation for cooperation. It was possible the Black Belt might ask him to help fight against the War Axe Gang. Xie Wendong politely declined, mentioning that he had been severely weakened during the attack on the Tiger Gang and that although he had merged with several new gangs, their structure was still unstable. He did this to prevent the Black Belt from finding an excuse to pressure him into taking action.